The Way The Night Comes
by easyl0ve
Summary: SEQUEL TO JUST LAUGH IT OFF: Rose is back with a vengeance as new obstacles stand between her and a happy life with the man she loves. It is set during The Dark Knight Rises. I only own my characters, the rest belong to the Batman franchise and DC comics.
1. I Will Lose Him

**FIRST CHAPTER OF THE SEQUEL! Let me know what you think, be brutally honest even. **

1: I Will Lose Him

When I woke up that humid summer morning he was beside me. He was beside me like he had been for so long; his arms were wrapped around me and I was happy. "Good morning, Sweetie."

"How did you sleep?" he pulled me closer to him.

"Wonderful, you?"

He didn't answer, he just kissed my forehead and got out of bed. He was just as magnificent as when he fell into my window almost seven years ago, but now he was mine. He was mine, and I was his, and we were together. I got up and walked down the hall to wake up our little JJ.

"JJ. It's time to get up!" I sat on the small bed and began to tickle my boy. "Wakey wakey! Grandpa and Grandma want to see you today!" He was smiling; I remember the first time my Jack Jr. smiled. I had been so happy, so happy that he had his father's handsome smile. I picked him up and carried him to the kitchen.

"Daddy!" he reached for Jack and there he was. I made breakfast for us.

"Last job today, Rose. Then I am done, I promise."

I smiled, "You better be telling the truth." He kissed me then. His kisses never lost their spark, even after all of this time. "My parents are moving there next week, did I tell you?"

"About five times, are you excited to move JJ?" he looked over at our child who began hitting the table wailing happily. "Looks like he is."

"Are you, Jack?"

"Of course." Jack's need to show the people of Gotham how truly evil they were had subsided gradually since JJ was born. He hated that he couldn't be there, he hated that we couldn't have a normal life in this town. I think that's why he was giving it up, though he normally would say he was getting too old for it. Lies. But I wouldn't argue with him. It made me so nervous, constantly nervous that someone would find him and he would be sent away. One last job, one last job and he was done, then it was only a month and we would be gone. We would be relaxing on our couch in a small town just north of Portland in only a month. That's why JJ and I were visiting my parents tonight. I would be a wreck, watching the television closely; making sure my love was okay.

Every time Jack went to 'work' we had a ritual. We would kiss, many kisses. He would go over what to do if he was caught, and he would play with JJ. Then we would kiss some more. Today was no different. "I love you, Jack." I kissed him one last time before he went out the door.

"I love you, Rose," he kissed me. Then he held JJ's face in his hands, "I love you too, little guy." We were a happy family, about to be 1,000 times happier after our move.

At my parents' house I was glued to the TV for a long time, then I was pried away to look at pictures of the new house. We would be living right next door to each other, which made me glad. It would be nice to know that they were never too far and JJ can get a lot of time with them. Then I heard my cell phone ring. It was Camille.

"Camille?"

"Rose! Did you see the news? Do you know?" Her voice was frantic. The news; I felt the jolt of fear run through my body as I ran to turn on the TV. There it was. The Joker had been caught. My Jack had been caught. "I am so sorry."

"I don't think I can make it into work this week," I felt the sickness spreading over my body.

"Of course, don't worry about it darling. Take all the time you need."

"I have to go. Thanks Camille." I hung up and looked over at my parents. "They caught him," I felt the warmth behind my eyes and the tears forming. Immediately my dad went into father mode.

"Here is what we are going to do. Your mother and I are going to go to Oregon tomorrow, and we are going to take JJ with us. Most of our stuff has already been shipped, so we will just go with you to get JJ's things together, and anything else you need us to take. Then we will leave and you will figure out a way to get him out. You can do that right?"

I felt numb, and JJ ran over to me. I picked him up and kissed his forehead. "I think I can. I mean, I will. I have to." My mom was already off collecting things for their long drive across country. "JJ, you are going to get to go on a trip with Grammy and Pop-Pop. Are you excited?" He looked confused. My sweet baby. He couldn't stay with me now, I was going to need to do several dangerous and terrible things to get his father back to him. "You are going to have so much fun," I spoke through my tears. "You will get to see so many cool things," we began walking to my parents' car. They already had a child seat installed for when they would babysit him. We drove to our home. I kept telling JJ how great his trip was going to be, but he knew something was wrong. My parents and I packed everything JJ needed in only a couple hours. Then we put in Jack's things, and most of mine. I wouldn't need much now. I just needed to get him out. I just needed to save him. "I love you my sweet baby boy." I kissed Jack Junior. "And your dad loves you too. We are going to be with you as soon as we can, until then be good to your grandparents." I kissed him goodbye. I handed my parents the letters that Jack and I wrote for little JJ, just in case. Just in case something like this were to happen. "Thank you, I will get there as soon as I can." I waved to my parents and went to work.


	2. I Will Regroup

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2: I Will Regroup

Getting back into shape was easier than I thought it would be, I guess because I tried to keep myself at least a bit strong. The week after JJ and my parents left for Oregon I was in training mode. I spent my days practicing my old fighting moves, throwing knives, and working out; my nights I spent figuring out how to make the right explosives to bust him out of Arkham. I had to be careful, because even though Jack did teach me a lot, it was all-theoretical since he never wanted me by the stuff. After that week Gotham began to change. There was a new maniac on the streets, and it was making it difficult for me to get all the supplies I needed. Those confusing chemicals. One more week, and Gotham was being held captive. A bomb that could explode any second and obliterate the entire city; no one could leave. I stayed focused. Only a few more things for me to steal, and then just finish the assembly. That is all. I thought of my Jacks constantly. My little man was safe far away from here, and my beloved was still in the city waiting to be rescued. I would rescue him. I would rescue him and kill whoever got in my way. I would bust him out and then we would swim across the river and get out of this place. The city could burn for all I cared. This city should burn for taking him away from me.

One night I knew I needed to break curfew. I needed to get a few things, and the cover of darkness seemed to be the best way to do things. I was going to try to get into that room at Wayne Tower. It was surreal putting on my old outfit. I didn't put on the mask, or the wig. Why would I need them? I didn't care anymore if anyone knew who I was. I loaded up on my knives and guns, the old lock picking kit. I threw on one of Jack's coats, because I knew it was getting colder out. It was nice to feel like he was close to me. I missed him.

It was difficult getting into the building, but I managed. I entered the room that I had stumbled into accidently years ago. I immediately knew I wasn't alone. There were many people, many more than I had expected. A bunch of men, they must have been with Gotham's new villain. I just needed to go unnoticed long enough to get what I needed. I silently made my way around the room, keeping to the shadows, trying to examine the materials I was passing. Nothing useful. Then I heard the voice. The dark boom of a voice that caused me to have a quick reaction. First I located the source, then I ran to the nearest thug and held my knife to his throat.

"Don't you know it isn't safe to be out past curfew, small girl?" His voice was so strange, but that was probably due to the mask on his face. Who was he calling 'small girl.'

Then she returned. The Stealing Siren was back, and she took over my body, "It's astounding. Time is fleeting. Madness takes its toll."

He laughed. "You threaten the life of a man that is simply a pawn to keep me from having you killed?"

I looked at the guy I was holding hostage. He didn't care? I dug my blade into his mouth, giving him a nice frown. The warm blood felt nice. Nicer than it should have, but everyone deserved to pay. "Anarchy, your wish is my command." I slid the knife into the poor man's throat.

The masked man laughed and motioned for his goons to attack. I had forgotten what it felt like. I had forgotten the clash of bodies, the impacts, the pain of a hit. I had forgotten all of this with my pleasant life filled with love. It came back easily though. The kindness of my past was gone. I fought with a blade in both hands, slashing away my loneliness. Whenever one would pull a gun, there I was to disarm him. I had just gotten through them, when a knife cut into my leg. I looked at the man, Bane was what he was referred to in the time leading up to the media blackout. There was another man next to him, who I assume threw the knife. I noticed one of the men I thought I had killed squirming. I walked over to him calmly, disregarding the master and his puppet.

"Mama, just killed a man." I placed my gun to the survivor's temple, "Put a gun against his head," I fired, "Pulled my trigger, now he's dead."

Bane laughed once more and turned around before addressing me. "You have promise young one, but I think you would be of little use to me." I was fleeing before he turned back, limping only slightly from the stab wound. I wouldn't make it home. I needed somewhere closer. I kept my gun out as I began to sprint. Where? Where could I go? Who could I even trust now? Who would be fine with a blood soaked me? Camille lived too far, who lived close? Andrew. My tattooist. He lived only a block away, if he was still there after all that's happened in Gotham. I ran even faster, now that I had a destination.


	3. I Will Recover

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3: I Will Recover

I didn't expect anything when I knocked on the door. But I did hope. I hoped that someone would be there, and maybe they would have a band-aid. A big band-aid. In seconds I could hear someone moving around behind the door. There was a shuffle of locks and the door opened. "Oh thank God it's you Drew."

"Rose? What are you doing here? It's way past curfew."

"Please let me come inside."

"Of course, come in." I entered the apartment panting from my run.

"Do you have bandages?" I nodded to my leg. I was applying pressure to slow the bleeding, but I needed a cleaner solution.

"Yeah I think so, let me look around for them," he hurried into a different room, "So what happened to you?"

"Well, you know who my husband is, right?"

He laughed, "Yeah, I did your rings, remember."

"Of course. See, they caught him, right? His last job and they caught him. Well, I need to get him out so we can get out of here, and to do that I need some things. But with all of this stuff happening, the big bomb, it's harder to get everything."

He knelt in front of me and examined the wound. "I am going to put on some saran wrap to give you some time to change into shorts. That way I can get a better look at it. How did you know I went to nursing school?"

I looked at him with my mouth hanging open as he put the temporary bandage on, "I had no idea, you were just the closest friend I had to Wayne Tower."

"Wayne Tower? You went to Wayne Tower and you aren't dead?" He went into another room and came back with a change of clothes. "How is that even possible? That's like Bane's headquarters."

"Long story short, I met a bit of resistance and left without the things I needed," I walked into the bathroom he'd shown me to. "I will tell you all about it later though." I quickly changed and noticed the water was working here too. That's lucky. I looked around the bathroom a bit. There were two sets of everything, and tampons? I exited to find Andrew preparing to give me stitches. "Hey Drew, where is the woman who lived here? And who was she?" I sat down in front of him and he began to examine my leg.

"My girlfriend. She, she went to get food one day. When she didn't come back I went looking for her."

"Did you find her?"

"They had killed her. Someone, had just killed her over food." We were quiet after that. When he fixed me up I barely winced. I was not the only one who had lost their love. At least mine would be with me again.

"Do you know who did it?"

He shook his head 'no.' "Why?"

"Because I could kill them for you."

I could see the confusion in his face, "How did you get out of Wayne Tower?"

"I killed a few people."

"Did you kill him? The man with the mask?"

"No, have you seen him? He looks like a tank. Do you want me to?"

"No, I was just wondering. We are all done here. You should stay here until morning at least."

"You should come with me. I have already stole tons of imperishable food, and it's safer where we live."

"We?"

"I. Sorry, I forget."

"I do, too."

The rest of the night we didn't talk. He began drawing me a new tattoo, and I watched him. Then I thought of Jack, of how horribly unprepared we were for all of this. Finally the artist began packing. I helped. His girlfriend had made a scrapbook of them, it was sweet. I don't think I really had any pictures of Jack. Tons of JJ though, but almost all of those went with him to Oregon. I only had one now. Drew even packed his sketchbooks and tattoo equipment, I liked that. I liked that Gotham could be falling, but he wasn't going to lose himself.

The walk to my house the next morning was slow. We were carrying a great deal of stuff, trying to not be noticed, and I was limping along. I was in Jack's coat though, and that made me happy. He was there protecting us. He protected us and we made it home safe.

That week was boring. I strengthened. I tried to figure out how I could finish these damn charges without the things from Wayne Tower. Finally Saturday Andrew said he had to tattoo me. For him, to keep him sane. I allowed it. He was working on my back, on something beautiful and dark. I didn't really care to look at what he had decided to do, I trusted him. I trusted that the tattoo wasn't for me; it was for him, my gift to him. Here have some of my skin, go wild with it. I was sitting in one of the dining room chairs when something caught my eye. A bit of paper sticking out of the wall. I stayed still though. Waited for Drew to finish. A couple hours later he was done. I got up and looked at it in the mirror. It was beautiful. A ghostly reaper lost in space. "I love it."

"Thank you."

"I gotta check something out," I walked over to the wall where the paper was sticking out. I pried the loose bead board off. Blueprints. Blueprints to Arkham. I looked at them. Upon inspection I saw Jack's scribbles. 'I'll probably be put in this ward.' 'Normally two or three guards.' There were notes everywhere. I kept looking. There was a map of Gotham. An X was a few blocks away from our home. 'I hid what you'd need here.' "This is everything I need," I looked over at my new roommate. I could feel the tears coming from my eyes. They weren't hot, they were happy. Jack was prepared. "He always knew what he was doing."


	4. I Will Plan

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4: I Will Plan

As much as I wanted to rush and get him out of Arkham I knew I needed to take my time. I needed to study everything he gave me. I needed to make a plan. Scratch that plan, new plan. Revise. Revise. Revise until it was as close to flawless as I could make it. I needed several alternatives, in case the primary plan failed. I needed to strengthen and heal. I needed to be sure I wasn't going to fail. Failure meant he would be stuck. Failure meant a possible death. I spent a month planning with Drew by my side. It was nice having him around. He kept me sane. I think I kept him sane too, but he was mainly filled with sadness. I could see it in his eyes; a part of him was gone. When he laughed it was never completely sincere, when he smiled it was shallow, but I couldn't blame him.

"I keep having trouble with this section," I pointed to part of the map. "I know its like, the most important part, but I keep messing up on it."

"Let me see." He examined the map closely for a few minutes. "Here," he put tracing paper over it and began to outline the area. "We can give you a cheat sheet."

"I think it will be a bit of a hassle to carry around a bit of tracing paper."

He laughed his empty laugh, "Not paper. I'll tattoo it on you. That way you can't forget it, and if you do it will be right there."

"That's not a bad idea." We continued our work. The whole month I had let him tattoo me. Partially because I knew it gave his life some normalcy and partially because the pain helped me. It helped me harden myself for the journey ahead. I had gone to the other location Jack had indicated on a map a week ago. Small explosive charges were ready to go, a few machine guns were locked and loaded, everything I needed. I took the supplies back to my house, making sure to be careful with the dangerous bits. "It's starting to get cold. We'll all need wetsuits for the swim across the river."

"We'll all? It's just you two isn't it?"

"You can go with us. Get out of this ticking time bomb. Plus, I want to go see Camille and her husband. Make sure they are okay. They will want to go, too."

"Camille Faraday?" he asked softly.

"Yeah, do you know her?"

He grimaced, "She and her husband have had a trial."

"What kind of trial?"

"Sometimes they play them on the TV. It was before you came to me last month when I saw."

"What kind of trial?" I heard my voice growing sterner.

"Well, the 'elite' of Gotham. They have all been sentenced to death, or exile. Exile is basically death though."

"So she's dead? They're dead?" I was fuming.

"I'm sorry."

"Who did this? That gigantic freak?"

"Kind of. You remember that guy who used to be a psychiatrist over in the narrows? He's become a judge of sorts. But yeah, Bane is behind all of it."

"I should have killed him when I had the chance."

"You can't kill that guy. He's a goddamn monster."

"New plan," I stood up. "We get Jack out, and then we make these men pay. They need to pay for the Faradays. They need to pay for your Ashley."

"First let's just focus on getting Jack out, alright." He was trying his hardest to calm me down. "Then we will see what he thinks."

"Where do they sell wetsuits?"

"There is a board shop a couple miles from here."

I grabbed Jack's coat. "I will be back in a few. Stay put." I put a few knives in my pocket as well as one of the guns I had from my Stealing Siren days. I dare someone to fuck with me today. I dare them.

The walk to the store was shorter than I hoped. No appearances by the masked monster either. I was let down. I broke into the store and looked around for the wetsuits. There they were. I checked the price tags, figuring the most expensive would probably help the most. Then I grabbed two for each of us in escalating sizes. It was better to safe than sorry. I tried to figure out how we would carry our things. We would just need a bunch of money really, and all of mine was safely tucked in a vault on the other side of the country where my son was probably playing now. My parents would be filled with worry, but they know I am a fighter. I wonder if my sister even cared? Did she even noticed he home town was being held hostage? Who cares? I went to the drawers at the cashiers' stations and emptied them of all the remaining cash. Only $500. I would give half to Drew, but we still needed more if Jack and I were going to make it to Oregon. I stuffed the suits in a bag along with a few coats I thought might be useful. On my way back to my home I broke into a few more stores and took the money from the registers. Just a little over $2,000 should be enough. We were quiet the rest of that day. Going over the plan, getting everything ready for the swim across the river. In two days we would go to Arkham, but first we would have to move to a closer location. That was today's plan. Crossing the bridge to the narrows was nerve racking. We moved at night, heavily laden by all of our things. I was glad he was with me though, and not just because he could carry some of the stuff. He was great to have around really. He may have been depressed, but that didn't hold his snarky comments in. He may have lost the one he loved but he shared my hope. He had family out of Gotham. Family he would be going to see any day now. He would go and have a life, and it would be for Ashley.


	5. I Will Let Go

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5: I Will Let Go

"You should just get out of here tonight," I said to Andrew when we got to our new safe house. "You shouldn't have to help me, you have already helped me so much." I smiled weakly at him. The truth is I didn't want him to have to see me killing people; I didn't want him to risk his life.

"I want to help you."

"You have. I would feel much better if you were safely on your way to your family's house. What if you got hurt? I could never forgive myself."

He thought for a moment, "Are you sure?"

"100% Let me help you get your stuff ready for the swim, go get changed." I smiled at him. He went off to the bathroom. He already had a bag filled with everything he was keeping, so I began wrapping garbage bags around it to keep the water out while he crossed the river. They had become close over the past weeks, but she knew it was safer for him. She had already lost two friends to this city; she refused to lose Drew too. He came out of the bathroom decked out in his wetsuits and put on a pair of children's goggles we had found in the apartment when we got there. "Nice."

"I think they might help. I mean if anyone sees me they will think I'm a nutter or something." He laughed. I just smiled. I grabbed Jack's coat, a few knives, and a pistol; then we were on our way. We were extra careful to not be caught, it was after curfew already. We were silent. I could feel the loneliness creeping back. "I can still stay, you know?" He looked over at me when we reached the water's edge.

"Nope, you are going to swim out of this city and have a good life."

He just smiled at me, it wasn't shallow like before, it was honest.

"Andrew, I probably won't see you again you know."

"I know."

"I am glad I went into your tattoo shop way back then."

"Me too." We stood in silence for one more minute.

"You go and have a good life, okay?" He didn't answer. He just strapped the plastic covered bag to his back and wadded into the water. I watched him as he slowly disappeared into the night and waves. Even if I never saw him again, he was still the best friend I have had in a long time. He will always be my best friend. That sarcastic artist who drew all over my body to keep himself sane. I would never forget him. I made my way back to the apartment. There were tears beginning to form in my eyes. They were of sadness. Of the loss of a dear friend. But they were also happy. In a few short hours he would be safely on the other side of that river and on his way to his parents' house. He would be far away from Gotham. I was lost in my thoughts when I ran into someone. In my panic I pulled my gun and pointed.

"Rose?" The voice was familiar, "Rose is that you?"

I looked closely at the figure, was that? Was that John? "Officer John Blake?"

He held his hands up and shushed me. "Keep it down. Cops aren't safe now."

I nodded, "Where are you headed?"

"To my apartment, you?"

"Same."

"You live in the narrows now?"

"Well, not exactly. Do you?"

"No, I have to make it across the bridge, but some of Bane's men are covering it."

"You can stay with me until tomorrow if you want." I tried to sound as kind as I could. I saw the figure nod. He followed me back to my 'new place.' When we were safely inside I turned on the light. "This place was empty when I got here, so I figured why not? How have you been?"

"Not well. Gordon and I are trying to take down Bane. It's not going well."

I laughed lightly as I took off my coat. I could see his eyes go to my tattoos. The last time he saw me I only had the one on my arm, now (especially after my time with Andrew) I was almost covered in them. "I can see that."

"You've changed a lot."

"Oh, the tattoos are the least of it. You have changed too. I can see it in your eyes." I looked at him closely. "Not so optimistic now, are we?"

"What else has changed?"

"With me? Oh you know, married, have a son. Gosh, when I say it like that it sounds so normal," I let out another laugh and began unloading my things from Jack's pockets.

"Where are they?"

"Sent my son to live with his grandparents just before all of this happened. And I can't say where my husband is."

"Oh, so he deserted you." He said matter-of-factly.

I slammed my hands on the table, "No. He was taken from me."

"Oh, I'm sorry," I could hear the fear in his voice. I changed my expression to a sad half-smile. You know the one; the face you make when you can no longer throw on your brave one.

"Don't worry about it. I will be with him soon. So what ever happened to that one girl? You two still together?"

"Nope. She left after I became too caught up in my job."

"Too busy trying to save Gotham since the Batman left."

"He's not gone. Or he wasn't. He was just retired," he laughed.

"You sound like you know him." I couldn't help the quizzical air that came across my face.

"It's Bruce Wayne," he laughed.

"You're joking."

"I'm not. It really is him."

I couldn't help but think of my once-friend. He was such a good man, so undeniably just to the core. "I can see that," I laughed. "So Bruce Wayne is both of the only two good men in Gotham?" I laughed again.

"There are more than two good men in Gotham."

"Sure," I said sarcastically.

"So your husband isn't a good man?" He looked almost worried as we sat on the couch.

"He's good to me, and our son, and even to my parents. But not to other people. He doesn't give a shit about anyone else." John didn't speak so I continued, "You know you would think I would try to change him. Make him less of a monster, but I don't. I love who he is. I wouldn't change a thing about him. I just happen to be lucky enough that he loved me too."

"So it is true?"

"What?"

"You're in love with the Joker."

I smiled. "It is true."

"And you have gotten married and had a kid? How could you have done that? Do you know what he has done to people? Do you…"

I held up my hand to stop him, "I know that man more than anyone else. I know what he has done."

"Did you? Did you do those things too?"

"Not really. I used to steal from the mob families, but I donated all the money to charities."

"You were SS? They tried finding you for so long, but nothing."

"Yep, that was I."

"But that's not really all that bad."

"You remember when all of those criminals were killed?"

I saw the look of horror on his face.

"I did try to stop. First with you, then at Arkham."

"You mean you used me to keep you from killing."

"I'm sorry. You used me too."

"I did not."

"Fine," I didn't really care. "I also killed some of Bane's men one night. I had gone to Wayne Tower, not knowing it was bad guy central."

"And you got out?"

"I did get a knife thrown at me. It wasn't all killing and sunshine." He was quiet for a long time, or at least if felt like a long time. "So are you going to arrest me?"

He looked at me, "He makes you happy?" I nodded. "And you two won't be going around killing people? Wait, are you trying to break him out?" He was looking at the table with all of the stuff for my plan.

"Yes, and then we are going to leave Gotham. We might try to take out Bane before, but I am not sure what he will want to do." He sat again quietly for a few more minutes, looking over me. I think I might have seen the love I used to see in his eyes, a bit hidden behind his face. I thought of the time I had spent with him. I decided to talk to him, since I would probably never see him again. "I loved you, you know. You were my chance at a normal life. Who knows, I might have become Batgirl or something even. Don't think that the time I spent with you wasn't real, alright. It was. It will always be real. There will always be a part of me that loves you, though not in that way. I only think about him that way. But that's what happened. The clock struck on our happiness and I figured out that maybe the easy life isn't always the right one. It would have happened one way or another; even if you didn't cheat on me. Something else would have happened to make me realize that we simply weren't destined to be together. If you believe in that sort of thing. But don't think for one second that I don't love you in some way."

He remained quiet again. "You really think it would've happened anyway?"

"I know it."

"Then I won't bother you about what you did, or what you are planning to do. Do you need any help?"

I got up and went to the kitchen. There was a bottle of wine that I had originally planned to share with Drew tonight, but John would suffice. "Have a drink with me, that would help."


	6. I Will Be Relentless

**Time for part one of the prison breakout! Let me know what you think, and thanks to everyone reading. It means a lot to me.**

6: I Will Be Relentless

The next morning I said goodbye to John, not knowing for sure if I would see him again. Today was a big day. I spent most of it getting things ready. I packed the things we would need for our trip to Oregon in a bag and wrapped it with plastic. I laid the wetsuits out; making sure everything was ready for us. As much as I wanted to stay, to take down the man who was responsible for all of this, I wanted to be with my son again. I wanted to hold my little man in my arms and tell him how much I missed him. I wanted to sit on a porch with Jack's arms around me as we watched JJ play in the grass with a new puppy. I wanted to be happy again, as soon as possible.

I began to get changed once dusk was falling. I already had everything laid out. I wore my Stealing Siren pants with a plain black tank and sports bra. I added the gloves my old teacher had given me, making sure I could still see the bit of blueprint Drew had tattooed on me. Then I put on some steel-toed boots. I wasn't going for stealth today, I was going for brute force. I loaded up my old knife garters and put on the gun holsters over, who knows how many people would be there now that Gotham had turned. The guard notes scribbled across the papers wouldn't mean very much, but they were possible stations of resistance. They were my checkpoints. I slung the small bag of explosives over my shoulder, and checked them. All I would have to do is pull a pin and throw; I could do that. Finally I slung the machine guns on my shoulders. I looked over everything and saw the old safe cracker I had. I might just need it. It might open a few doors for me, and I needed quite a few doors opened.

As I exited the apartment, making sure to get a good swig of water just in case, I felt nervous. Not for the whole 'killing everyone in my way' thing, but because I would see him again. I hoped he would still love me; I did look a bit different with all the tattoos and the general tired look I couldn't cover up. I imagine this is what soldier's wives feel when their men come back from war. Horribly nervously happily terrified.

It was time.

I made my way to the facility, keeping to the shadows. I was happy to find the entrance unguarded, but I had a knife ready. I entered the building quietly. The entrance to the criminal section of Arkham was far different than the one I had checked myself into: large and ominous. I tried to keep to the walls, but there was still not a sign of any living soul. I followed my plan perfectly, that is, until the halfway point. I had gotten reasonably more relaxed during my unopposed walk through the building, so when I turned the corner I wasn't thinking. There was a small group of men. They didn't see my mistake so I backtracked and hid behind the corner.

"Bane was sure she would come for him. We have to stay on guard."

"But how does he know? She hasn't come yet."

"Besides what is one little girl going to do to the fifty men he's stationed here." Fifty? I had at least fifty bullets, plus my knives. Fifty was still a large number. A big scary number of men keeping me from the man who I loved.

"You remember when all those guys were killed? That was her."

"No way. You're lying."

"Why else would he want us here guarding that clown? He wants us to catch her for a reason." Catch me. That's perfect. They won't be trying to kill me then, only wound. There were only fifty men standing between where I was and where I needed to be. They stood no chance. I tried to remember how many thugs were at the end of the hall, five or four. I pulled the knives from my garter and took a breath. It's show time.

I turned the corner and threw with precision as I began my walk down the hallway. Direct hits, critical hits. When I reached the squirming bodies I went through them one-by-one. I sliced their throats and carved the frowns into their dead faces while collecting the blades. It was merciful of me. This was all going to be a message to Bane. The message was 'Fuck you.'

The next corridor only had two men, easy. I threw, collected, slashed, and carved. I wanted to get at least through twenty-five before I used my gun. It would raise an alarm, and I preferred killing unsuspecting men. There were five in the next stretch. Slashed and carved. Another four. Slashed and carved. Another three. Slashed and carved. Then another five. Twenty-four. I looked into the next room. There were at least ten men in there. And they weren't scrawny like the others. Gun or bomb? Gun or bomb? I considered where I was in the building. I was getting very close. If I used a bomb he would hear that I was on my way. I would do both. I pulled the pin and threw the explosive into the room, readying the machine gun as I covered myself behind the corner and waited for the blast. Boom. I turned and began firing. There were only a few men staggering around, all easy to take down. No more carving. More would be on their way. I referenced my tattoo so I would know which way to go next, then ran through the debris and started down the next hallway shooting the four men in there. Then the next one, four more. Out of bullets. I ditched the first machine gun and pulled out my pistols. Only about ten more to go. Five in the next room. All taken out. One more room left. Then I would be with him. I opened the door. Two more down. The next door was locked. I pulled out the safe-cracker, pushed the button and hoped for the best. A large clank. I tried the door again, opening it.

And there he was.


	7. I Will Free Him

**Enjoy. Let me know if I am being all 'shitty writer' on you guys. **

7: I Will Free Him

All of the worries I had felt before were gone. It was just us then. I didn't even notice the two guards dead on the floor, and if I did I wouldn't have cared. I walked up to him and threw my arms around his neck. His automatically wrapped around my waist, and we kissed then. Our mouths crashing together in harmony. It had been far too long. I was never going to let this happen again. I was never going to leave his arms again. Finally he pulled away. "Took you long enough." He laughed.

I pouted, "Hey, things out there have changed."

"I've heard. What did you do to piss the guy off so much?"

I looked at him closely. He had bruises all over his arms, old and new. "What did they do to you?"

"Don't worry about it. Let's just get out of here." He started for the door, but I pulled him back to kiss him once more. I handed him the machine gun. Then crouched besides the two dead men. He must have strangled them or something, because there was no blood. I took out a blade and carved the frowns. "Now you're just trying to piss him off." I just smiled and walked past him. We got out of the facility rather quickly considering how much Jack was limping. Once out we snuck to our temporary living arrangement. "Where's JJ?"

"He's in Oregon with my parents. They left the day after, luckily." He just nodded and we continued to the house. We entered, and barricaded the door behind us as a precaution. Then we went to the bathroom, I turned on the shower. "There is no more hot water, but they have plenty of towels." It was wonderful. Having him there with me. I helped him out of his Arkham jumpsuit and took off my clothes quickly, dragging him with me into the shower. I couldn't keep myself from touching him. He was there. He was with me. I was happy for the first time in a while. After all of the blood was washed away we got out and dried off. My eyes never left him, and how could they? There he was, finally.

"You look different." He smiled at me. I could feel the worry coming back. I was about to apologize, try to explain but he spoke first. "I like it."

I sighed in relief. "You look different too. Do you know if you broke anything?"

"I don't think so. Don't worry about that now." He pulled me to him and I felt his hand snake up through my hair. Then I was gone. My carnal nature took over and I needed him. Our lips met. We staggered over to the bedroom and into the bed. I missed this. I missed my husband.

The next morning I was sore. Sore for all of my happiness, like it was bursting out of me so much that it was causing my muscles to hurt. I rolled over and woke Jack up. "Good morning, Sweetie."

He kissed my forehead. "So how did you manage to get all of those tattoos?"

I nestled into his chest, "Well the night I ran into the big guy I got hurt."

He laughed, "You never get hurt."

"Well I did that night. Knife right to the leg. So I was sprinting out of there, trying to think of where I could even go, and I ended up at Drew's. You know him, you met him when he did our rings. Anyways, he patched me up, and we kind of teamed up after all of that. I sent him across the river two nights ago, so he should be on his way to a normal life again." I attempted further explanation, "See, his girlfriend was killed. I just, I knew it would help him if he got to do something normal, so I gave him my skin. It was the least I could do really, he helped me plan out how to get you out of there."

"So he escaped Gotham?"

"Yeah, we can too. I just was going to ask if we might be able to take down Bane before we left. Or at least, ruin his life. Just a little."

"I don't want to do that. He's brought out the madness, I like it."

"Then can I do it? I mean, you can hide out and I can fuck with him. Or you could make the swim, and I will follow you when I am done." I didn't want that. I didn't want to be apart anymore.

"We are not separating." He pulled me on top of him.

"So we have to leave?"

He looked at me for a minute, pondering something. "You really want to do this? It would make you happy?" I nodded. "Then I can't have you doing it alone, now can I?" I smiled at him.

"You know, we don't have to start right away. We can take a few days just for us?" And we did. It was like when he used to come over to my apartment on the weekends and we would just be together. We talked of JJ, and how we would hurry so we could get to him. I tried to plan out how exactly I should hurt Bane before we left. He even agreed to help me, if only to keep me from getting killed. I was happy. Together Jack and I were unstoppable, and Gotham's reckoning would have a new force to reckon with.


	8. We Will Live

**Okay so I know that this story was short, and this chapter was short. To be honest I just want Rose to finally get to be happy and move on from all the crazy shit in her life so she can just enjoy it, you know? I know that sounds silly. I hope you enjoy it, and I do apologize for the length. **

8: We Will Live

Once the haze of those days was over my mind had changed completely. "Let's leave Gotham. I am sure they will find a way to take him down."

Jack looked at me, "You begged me to stay and do this, and now you are changing your mind?"

"I want to go be with JJ. I want to start our life away from here." He hugged me. We got our things ready, wrapping the bag up tightly in the plastic. We put on our wetsuits and kissed each other. When the night fell we went to the water. It was still cold, even with the added insulation. We slowly made our way across the river. I made sure to stay close to him. It took so long to reach the other side, but we did. We found a dark corner and changed into the clothes we had in our bag. I stood there for a while, looking at Gotham. "I made the right choice, right?" I looked up at Jack who had slid behind me so he could hold me.

"JJ misses us. We need to be with him." We stood there for about an hour. I was saying goodbye to everything. I was saying goodbye to my old city. Then we headed to the bus station. I went in and got the tickets, since I didn't want anyone to figure out who he was. I just wanted us to make it to Oregon. I wanted us to make it to JJ. We got on the bus and sat at the back. I curled up next to him. Later that day we switched buses. Then a train. Then a few more buses. Then we were in Oregon. One more bus to the town. Then a cab. We only had just enough money, including meals. I hadn't spoken to my parents since all hell broke loose in Gotham. I could feel the butterflies churning in my stomach.

"What if he doesn't recognize us? What if he is mad?"

"He will be happy to see us don't worry." We pulled up to a house. It was a small two-story building, with white shutters and a bright blue front door. We walked up the stairs onto the front porch hand-in-hand. "Don't worry, Rose." He knocked on the door. My mother answered.

"Oh my God," she was crying. "Oh my God. They are here! They made it," she yelled into the house. My dad came into view holding JJ.

"Mommy! Daddy!" He remembered us. Jack set down the bag and swept up JJ, holding him up next to me. I was crying again. I was so happy. So happy that I had left that all behind. So happy that I was going to spend my days here, with my family.

I looked out into the yard. There was Jack running around playing with our son. It was everything I wanted. Every minute my love would look at me and smile. These were our days. I got a job writing for the regional paper, as well as a part time job as a waitress at the Breakfast and Lunch Spot. Sometimes at night I wake up in a cold sweat, I dream of the people I killed and the people I abandoned. Jack is always there though. By my side. He reminds me that Gotham survived. My sister even came to visit a few times; she was still going from man to man. She made fun of Jack and me once. Only once. I threw a knife past her; that got her to shut up finally.

I was utterly happy. I guess that's what happens when you lose everything. When you have to fight to get them back. There is no rest like the kind you get after a long journey, and we were resting for the rest of our lives.


	9. Question for Readers!

**So I totally want to write what Rose wanted to do, or rewrite it so that they go all mayhem up Gotham's ass. But there is a problem. There isn't a whole lot of room in TDKR for Rose and Jack to do what they really want to do! And also, I'd like to think that they would do what I had them do and just go home to little JJ. Thoughts?**


	10. We Will Watch

**HERE WE GO! We are back, and ready to kick some Bane butt. Well, almost. Thanks for encouraging me to go for this. It didn't feel right to just end it like that. Please, for God's sake let me know what you think!**

9: We Will Watch

I wanted that all to happen. I wanted to be away, and a complete family once again. But I needed to repay a debt. I had killed people in this city, and even if they were criminals the scale will always be tilted against me if I didn't set things right. Helping take down Bane, that would be my redemption. There were a few problems I would have to trouble-shoot. First, the guy was a beast. If I did get close enough to land a punch chances are my hand would break into a billion little pieces. Knives would be my only option. I could remain at a relatively safe distance. But that was the endgame. I would work my way to that point.

The first step was to tail him. Surveillance. Good old-fashioned reconnaissance. What were his days like? What did he do? What did he care about? Who was he close to? I needed to know these things. I needed to know him better than even he did.

"Why don't we just kill the guy?" Jack was getting annoyed; anyone could tell.

I put the binoculars down and slid towards him, "Because it wouldn't be as fun?" I let the devilish grin spread across my face as he began to laugh. "Plus, you should enjoy this while it last. Once we get to Oregon no more killing, no more anarchy. You promised."

He pulled our faces together and kissed me, "You make a good point."

"Anyways, is it not fun to finally team up with me?" I faked a pout before laughing. Then again, lips on lips. Tongues. Happiness. The two weeks of tailing Bane had been an odd sort of honeymoon for us. Running from street to street, hiding and sneaking. It was all very fun. I turned my attention back to the job. "Where the fuck are you going now? Looks like a change in the schedule, we better get moving." We grabbed the few things we carried with us and made our way down the stairs and out the building. It was lucky that he hadn't left yet when we caught view of him again. He was talking to the man who threw the knife at me. He would definitely be on my list. Once their conversation was over Bane began his stroll north. It was a good three miles before he entered a building. We entered the one across the street and climbed. I sat and pulled out the binoculars, peering into various windows, hoping to glimpse the target. After twenty minutes there was movement in the top apartment. The building's large windows and the tenant's lack of window coverings were a blessing. A woman entered the room, then Bane. I furrowed my brow in confusion. Was he going to hurt her? Then they sat by each other, and I saw the tenderness in her actions. "You aren't going to believe this, Jack. He's got a girlfriend." He laughed and took the binoculars from me. All he did was nod. "She's the key right? The chink in his chainmail?"

"You know the answer to that. What do you want to do with her?"

"I want to get all the information I can from her about the big bad man. But first we should follow her for a bit, it wouldn't be very smart to just run into the place and take her, ya know?" He smiled at me. Of course he knew. He was the criminal mastermind. He knew exactly what he would do in my shoes. I checked the window again; they were still cuddling. If any woman in the world could relate to me, this was she. She too appeared to love a madman. Bane was her Jack. I would not kill her, how could I? How could I kill myself? "I won't kill her though," I turned to Jack. He raised his eyebrow in question. "She is me. I can't do that."

He laughed, "More of the 'we are all the same' bullshit? Haven't heard that in a while."

I rolled my eyes, "She loves a madman. I love a madman. I won't do that."

"Are you calling me mad?" I sensed the anger in him growing. The honeymoon was over.

"Oh, you know what I mean. He took over Gotham; you took over Gotham." I set the binoculars down and touched his face. His anger was slowly fading. "I love you," I kissed his cheek and returned to the watch.

Bane and the mystery woman sat together for three whole hours. Watching their interactions was strange; I felt for the first time that I was invading privacy. Then suddenly Bane was leaving. Jack started packing up. "Wait, she is who we want."

"But you aren't going to kill her?"

"She doesn't know that now, does she? Plus, she clearly knows him well." Jack sat back down. An hour later the woman grabbed a backpack and headed out the door. "She's moving, we have to go." We packed and were on the move. We were halfway across the city before she met up with someone who looked vaguely familiar. "Who is that guy? I know him from somewhere."

"Gordon."

"Who?"

"A cop. No doubt he'll be leading some sort of 'resistance.' He's almost as bad as the Bat."

"What the hell is she doing with him?" They began to move; so did we. They entered a building, and we did our normal routine; into and up the building on the other side of the street. There was much less wait to find them in the small windows. They were in an apartment on the third floor, and they were talking to someone. Bruce maybe? I kept watching, waiting for the other person to show himself. Then he did. "John." I spoke quietly.


	11. We Will Take Action

**And another one! Two in a row to make up for the general lameness of my brief time away from the story. Tell me how you like it, or dislike it. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!**

10: We Will Take Action

Jack stood up quickly and took the binoculars from me. "So," there was a long pause, "That's Officer Blake." There was no denying the anger in his voice, that lingering anger from when I first told him about John. He had grown so angry that day, I was even worried he would kill him, but I asked him not to. Jack was always the one, John was a blip, an apparition that shouldn't have been. We had moved past it, but now things were different.

"Better than it being Batman, right?" I tried to diffuse the situation. "We can probably move in."

"That's a stupid idea."

"My plan, remember. We are only like, two blocks from the house. If we hurry we can get back while she is still there." I began putting our things away and we were off. Once at the house we quickly changed. I wore most of my Stealing Siren outfit, equipped with knives and one gun. He put on a suit we had found in the home. It wasn't nearly as lavish as the ones I had made him, but he refused to wear normal clothes. He even managed to find a tin of face paint. Once we had grabbed all we needed we were on our way. We entered the building, and found the right door. I listened, "Nothing." I pulled out the lock pick and went to work. Click. We were in. No one. We looked through the rooms. Nothing. "This is perfect." I walked to the door and locked it once more. They wouldn't know we were here. While we waited I prepped a chair to tie her up in. I wanted this to go as smoothly as possible. I kept an eye out through the window slyly. Then I saw them approaching. All three of them, perfect. "As much as I love you, you should probably hide for just a bit. Two cops won't be too happy to see you. I will signal for you when I need you." We went into the bathroom, but before I shut the door I kissed him. I would have to hide, too. I positioned myself behind a wall, gun drawn; my stomach was knotting up and my blood was pumping. I heard the keys jingling. Heart rate increase. Slightly light-headed. Just focus. They will enter, wait a moment, then come out and say… say what? Freeze? Nobody move? Please? Shit, I was so unprepared. All of my plans and none for right now. The door opened and I heard them walking in.

"So that's the plan, Miranda." That must be Gordon; it sure as hell wasn't John.

"You have my help, I promise." The mystery woman, 'Miranda.'

"John, get the woman some tea." Tea? Shit. I looked around. I was in the kitchen. Wait, this is good. I held up the hand with the gun as if to say, I won't shoot; and with the other I put a finger to my mouth to say be quiet. After a few second there was John. He jumped slightly, but thankfully he didn't say anything. I motioned for him to continue. I looked around for a piece of paper and something to write with. Right on the counter, pad of paper and a pen. 'She is with Bane.' I held it up. He shook his head. I wrote again. 'I saw it.' I held up the page. He looked at me. There he was. Searching for truth in my eyes, and finding it quickly. I was glad he was here. He wanted Gotham safe more than I did. He began to walk into the other room, but I scribbled something else. 'Joker is here, don't be afraid.' He gave an annoyed look and grabbed the notepad, then continued into the other room.

"Hey Gordon, I have a friend that's coming over. She say's she has some useful information."

"Oh really? Do you trust her?"

"With my life, at the moment," he laughed. "We should sit down." I heard some rustling. Here is my chance. John moved the other guy out of the way. I took a moment to peek into the room and see where I would be aiming. With my free hand I pulled a knife, just in case. I took a small breath in and out and went for it.

"Nobody move." My gun was pointed directly at the woman. She was much more beautiful up close. "Please, or I will have to hurt you. I am John's friend. But I am here because of the company _you_ keep, my dear," I was surprised when she jumped up, but my aim was still perfect. A blade to her arm. She still kept coming. She was almost a match for me, or at least more than I had expected. "Sweetie!" I sang. Then the Joker came out of the bathroom. The woman was still so engrossed with fighting me that she didn't notice my love as he came up behind her and restrained her. I grabbed the rope and noticed the look of worry on the other man's face as John tried to explain. Deal with that later; now we tie her up. I was thankful we had prepped the chair, because she was quite the handful. I even had to use the spare rope, just to be sure. No slip-ups today. I pulled the knife out of her arm when we were done, and she screamed. I pulled off a length of duct tape and shut her up. "I will talk to you later," I turned to the two men whose faces were now both stricken with worry. "I am sorry about that, who would've thought she would be such a fighter? I'm Rose and this is the Joker, and you are?" I extended my hand (bloody glove and all) to the man.

"Jim Gordon. Commissioner."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Wish the circumstances were a bit nicer though." I laughed. The Joker laughed from behind me.

"Hello, Commissioner," the Joker back to his full terrifying glory. We sat down, I tried to keep a civilized smile on my face.

"I am sure this is strange for both of you, and for that I am so sorry. But this is the first big lead we've gotten." Quiet. "See, I have been keeping tabs on the masked man for a few weeks. Today he slipped up and went to see this woman," I pointed to the crazed figure in the chair. "We saw them getting cozy on a couch, and I knew. I knew I had to speak with her. Unfortunately she couldn't have been calm about the whole thing. But she led us here, and now here we are."

"You saw her with Bane?" the Commissioner spoke.

"With my own two eyes." I noticed the disgust in his face. "Now, as much as I can understand where she is coming from, I have a problem. We have a debt to this city, and we need to pay it. The only way to do that is by saving it, and we have to go through her to do it."

John finally spoke in his gentle voice, "How can she help you do that?"

I laughed for a minute. "She has information, and knowledge is power."

"So you want to interrogate her?" Gordon piped in.

"For the most part. Here, if you'd let me. Moving her would be too risky, and things are risky enough as it is. Feel free to discuss, we have time."

They debated for a while. John was on my side, and Gordon was apprehensive. Jack was annoyed. I could sense the anger in him. He was just staring at John. I held his hand and placed my other on his face, turning it towards me. My thumbs rubbed his hand and face. The anger was dissipating. By the time it was as far gone as it had ever been the Commissioner interrupted us.

"Fine, but we get to question her first. If that's alright with you?"

"Of course, sir. That's not a problem."


	12. I Will Discover

**Please review! I feel like I am flying blind here. I can see someone is reading, and thank you for that. It really makes my day. I just really need some feedback since I stepped away from the story for a bit. I am worried my ideas have gone to shit from an outside standpoint. I like it, but it appears I am alone! **

**Now that the rant is done, onto the thank yous! I have to thank you for reading both this story and Just Laugh If Off. It really is a pleasure to write for you, and the feedback I get is helpful and I am grateful! HERE IS THE NEXT PART! ENJOY!**

11: I Will Discover

Their interrogation techniques did not work. She refused to admit she was involved with the masked man. She stuck to her story. But then it was my turn.

"Now there is no reason you need to die, but you know how these things go. You refuse to talk; I refuse to keep you alive. Do you understand?" She didn't respond besides her arrogant laugh. I walked to her and looked at her arm, "Ooo, I gotcha pretty bad there didn't I," I stuck my finger in the wound and she let out a wail of pain. "Now talk. Or I will have to escalate things." I continued to wiggle my finger around for a few moments, and then removed it. She was panting now.

"What do you want to know?"

I sat down and took a sip from my teacup. "Let's start with something easy, who are you?"

"I am Miranda Tate. A board member at Wayne Enterprises."

"And who were you before that?"

I saw a smile cross her face, "Now that's a better question. Where do you want me to begin?" Civility finally. I poured her a cup of tea and held it to her mouth, she accepted. I tried not to notice the peanut gallery whispering, nor the looks Jack was giving me.

"The beginning is always a good place to start."

"It's a long tale, are you sure?" I nodded and she continued, "When I was born there was only darkness. My mother died, and I never knew her." I took another sip.

"Darkness?"

"I was born in a prison called the Pit. A name that was completely just. The only real light came from the vast opening at the top, and the only hope for escape came form an impossible climb up its walls."

"But here you are." She was quiet for some time, too much time. I stood and replaced my finger in the hole in her arm; she screamed and I removed it.

"I climbed out."

"How?"

"With help."

"Tell me the story."

"There was a man who protected me, and though others viewed him as dangerous he was always kind. One day there was a riot, I would surely be killed. But he led me to the wall. I climbed, without the rope to save me if I fell. Then I made the jump. My only regret is that I didn't help him out before I ran away."

"And why is that?" Quiet. I debated cutting a new spot in her skin, but instead I chose tenderness. I picked up the cup I poured for her and held it to her lips. "Excuse me gentlemen, is there any way we could have a few minutes?" They hesitated, but moved into the bedroom, "Be nice my love," I breathed to the Joker. I could see the discomfort on his face. "How did you meet Bane?" I spoke when the bedroom door was shut.

She laughed, "Why? So you can use it against him?"

"Well, partly. I won't lie to you about that. But mainly because, it's hard to explain. I, too, fell for a dangerous man. I just wondered how it happened for you."

"I already told you."

I thought for a moment, the man who saved her. I put her cup to her lips once more. "What happened to him?"

"When I was escaping he was wounded." I was surprised by her lack of resistance. "By the time I returned the healer down there had already done the damage."

"So you went back for him?"

"Of course, I was to recruit him for my father."

I raised my eyebrow. "Your father?"

"The leader of The League of Shadows, Ra's al Ghul."

"And what is he like?"

"He was a great man. But he was not fond of Bane's feelings for me. When he learned of them, Bane was excommunicated from the League."

"So why is he in Gotham? Why is he doing all of this? Because your dad kicked him out of some club?"

She laughed. "No, he is here because I am. He is simply doing what I requested him to."

"You?"

"My father's last wish was for Gotham to be destroyed."

"I see." I got up and poured myself more tea, as well as filling her half empty cup. I put the cup to her lips every few minutes as we sat in silence. Then I broke the silence. "His mask, does it come off?" She shook her head. "So, you never got to kiss him?"

"We kissed once. It was the only time he removed his mask. But it was too painful for him."

"Hope you made the most of it," I smiled. "What's your real name then?"

"Talia."

"Talia al Ghul. That's a nice name." More silence. "Out of curiosity, have you heard of me before?"

"Yes."

"All good things I hope," I laughed. There was no way it could have been good.

"Bane hates you, or more you infuriate him. He does not like to be taught lessons. He told me what you did to his men at headquarters, and at the asylum."

"They were at the wrong place at the wrong time. They didn't have to die."

"Did you really kill fifty men to free him?" she nodded to the bedroom door.

"I'd kill fifty more if I had to, but let's hope it doesn't come to that." I smiled at her. "I think your love thought he was a weakness of mine. He is not."

"You do not look that lethal?" I put the cup to her lips.

"Nor do you." I sat back down, "Perhaps we could have been friends, Talia, if you weren't trying to destroy the city I have to save."

"Why must you save Gotham? It is corrupt, even after the Batman tried to save it."

"I have a debt, and it needs to be repaid. Just like you have to carry out your father's wishes." We sat for a while longer until the tea was gone and I went to get the guys from the other room. Mr. Gordon and John sat on one of the couches, and the Joker and I on the other.

"What did you find out?" John asked. I could tell that he was nervous, but I didn't know why until I looked at Jack. Clearly some words were exchanged while I was busy with Talia.

"Do you want to tell them? Or should I?" I smiled at her and she nodded in my direction. "Alrighty then. Long story short, she is Talia al Ghul and she wants Gotham destroyed. Bane is only doing this for her."

"But why?" the Commissioner looked completely confused.

"She has her reasons. All you need to know is that she is who is behind all of this."

"And there is no changing your mind?" he looked at her.

"I am sorry James, there is nothing you can do to stop this."


	13. We Will Team Up

12: We Will Team Up

I was not going to kill Talia. It would have been the easy thing to do, and I wasn't one for doing things the easy way. This left a big question unanswered.

"What do we do with her?"

"I say we get rid of her," the Joker said.

"Nope, then Bane will blow the place up."

"Then what?"

"We could let her go, but then you two would have to move."

"Move where? This is my home," I could tell Gordon was attached to the place.

"Could we move in with you two?"

"I don't know if that's a great idea."

"But we are on the same side, we should be working together."

I exchanged a look with Jack. As much as I wanted to help out and understood where John was coming from, I also didn't want any interference. I didn't want that invasion. I wanted Jack all to myself. But before I could refuse the Joker surprised me. "You can stay with us, as long as you follow our rules." Great, that won't be horrible. It won't be unbearable to have the only two men I have loved underneath one roof. All that testosterone. I wished that Talia could stay too, that I would have one girl around. Then I thought of Camille, my boss and friend; and of Drew's Ashley. Of why I needed to save whatever was left of Gotham.

"Alright then. Pack up what you need and we can get going."

"Where are we going to leave her?"

I loosened the ropes around her feet and retied them so she could walk, but only slowly. "Somewhere where she will be found quickly." I untied her hands from the arms of the chair, and then pulled them behind her back, securing them again. "I am sorry we can't do better than that, we just can't have you following us."

"So you still plan on saving Gotham?"

"If it can be saved, then I will help save it. Decent people have died, Talia. I cannot forgive that."

"The men you killed were decent men." I felt the pang of guilt as the words flowed out of her.

"And now the debt must be paid. I told you that." Our two new teammates were packed and ready to go. So we descended the stairs of the building. We lead Talia the opposite way of our house, and left her on a street corner. Then we took a long route home, so that if she did follow she would be unable to find us. By the time we had returned home the sun was rising on a new day. I opened the door and the newcomers filed in before me, Jack closed the door behind us.

Meals since the 'reckoning' consisted of nasty canned food, or at least it seemed nasty at the beginning. Now I was used to it; now it was just as good as a meal at a high priced restaurant. After we all slept through the entire day the food felt good in our hungry stomachs. The only downside was the awkward silence. The general lack of trust, and the heat of hostility. Jack hated John, John felt this and acted like a mouse before a snake, and Gordon hated Jack.

"So what did Miranda and you talk about?" John asked, breaking the silence but building the tension.

"Oh you know, girl stuff." I laughed. I suppose you could call it that on some other disturbed planet. "Like how she does her hair, how she met her man, all that jazz."

"How did she meet him?" Gordon spoke softly and respectfully, ignoring my clearly lackadaisically joking tone.

"It's a nice tale really. He was her protector, and saved her in a riot. Sent her to freedom. Another tragic romance."

"That doesn't sound tragic," John didn't understand.

"Well, you don't get it do you. In saving her, he earned his mask. He can't even take it off to kiss her. She can't even kiss him."

"So the mask can't be removed," Gordon, pure strategy Gordon.

"It can, but apparently it is painful. Tactically it is the best bet on beating him if he happens to get his hands on you; try to rip off the mask. That is if he doesn't crush you before you can." I spooned more food into my mouth, "but that's not what our next step is. Our next step is the right hand man. I am going to kill him."

"Why? If you didn't kill Miranda then why would you kill him?"

"The bastard knifed me. I am going to knife him right back, plus it will anger the big man even more. Anyways, Talia is alive because I actually like her. She's evil, that's for damn sure, but grief does that to people."

"I just wish the Batman would come back already," Gordon spoke. Did he seriously not know who he is? When John told me it was all I could do not to facepalm right through my skull. Expensive equipment that I found in that secret room of Wayne Enterprises? Not Fox? Had to be Bruce.

"We should probably pay him a visit soon," I looked at John.

"He's gone."

"Like, gone gone?" I mimed being choked.

"I don't know about that, but he isn't home. He isn't anywhere in the city."

"I hope he is okay," I looked over at Jack. He seemed relatively disinterested in the whole thing, then again he had been. He didn't really want to save Gotham, he was just in it for the chance to kill a few more people and to stay with me. "Well I am stuffed to the point of exhaustion. Let's take a nap and let these gentlemen try to come up with a plan." I stood up; Jack followed.

"What do you want us to do?"

"Find a way to get the bomb out of the picture."


	14. I Will Shatter

**Here's the new chapter! Sorry for the wait (I've been sick). I HOPE YOU ENJOY!**

13: I Will Shatter

I loved being with Jack, especially when it was just the two of us. I tried to remember what it felt like when he first fell into my life, whether or not I was frightened, whether or not I was immediately infatuated with him or it grew over time. I could never really remember correctly. The past had blurred with the present and all I knew was that I loved him; that I was supposed to be next to him. His quiet demeanor of the past few days worried me. He hadn't been verbose throughout our whole life together, but there was something about this silence that brought emptiness to my heart. I wanted to talk to him about it, but then I would have to admit something was wrong. Was it the new presence in our company, the two policemen who were desperately trying to save the city? That would have had to be it. Even if I did find the nerve to ask what was wrong he wouldn't tell me. That was the thing about Jack, as much as and as deeply as I loved him there would always be a wall between us. When JJ was born it wasn't as noticeable in some ways, but in others it was a flashing neon sign. You are not welcome. Before I had JJ to keep the thought away, and my parents and Camille. And after that I had Drew and the quest to save him. Then there was the honeymoon, wrapped up in another quest. Now the quest wasn't enough. Now the company of others only exacerbated the issue. When we married, our own little secret marriage, I thought I could handle it. I thought that maybe, just maybe over time the wall would become a fence I could at least peek through. Then maybe after more time and more proving my love that fence might spring a gate, or dissolve into a small curb. That was the optimist in me, and she was almost always wrong.

Don't misunderstand; I love Jack more than myself. I always will, and nothing will change that. But everyone breaks. I wasn't going to leave him, because I never would. It is just I spent years scaling this mountain of a wall, trying to get in. I ran at it headfirst in futile attempts to break it down, even just a bit, just a sliver of progress. But it was always there. Occasionally it would appear to have vanished, but alas it was a trick of the eye. Another contusion. You can only beat yourself against an impenetrable barrier for so long. If I tried again I was sure to shatter. I had no choice but to stop the attempt. I would have to live with loving someone who I only saw glimpses of. Those glimpses would have to be enough.

It was because of this that I began to talk to our new housemates more. I got to know more about Gordon in a day than I knew about my love after years of effort. I couldn't help but respect him in everyway. When he spoke of his family I could see the loneliness on his face. He had it, at one point. The thing I wanted so badly. I wondered if it was better to have lost it, or never even get close. I couldn't ask him though. I couldn't tell him of my marital problems, no one could know. After all, there were no problems. John was particularly nice to have around. We had this ease when we interacted. He would tell me stories about his life and I would listen intently, we would laugh at things Gordon didn't find funny. In many ways we were both part of the same person. I felt guilty about feeling this, but it was the truth. Where Jack was boundaries and blow-ups, John was open and light-hearted. But that didn't change anything.

Before long we had a plan, there were ways to track which car held the bomb, which meant we might be able to disarm it. The first step was to find Lucious Fox, my old boss.

"He's not dead?" I let out in relief.

"No, but the trick will be getting him out of his hiding spot."

"Can you two take care of it?" I hoped they would. I wasn't feeling up for a rescue mission that had no blood in it.

"Sure, we will go tomorrow."

"Alright, just be careful to not be traced back here."

It was decided. What they didn't know was that I would be doing my own mission tomorrow. A little thing called "The Siren's Revenge," so named because I was going to pay back Bane's number two for hitting me with the knife. I hoped that I would be lucky enough for him to be an easy enough kill to take care of in just an afternoon, but I knew that it might not be the case. I decided to tell Jack about my plan that night before we went to sleep.

"I'm going to kill the man who hurt me soon." I said as I rolled over to place my head on Jack's chest.

"How soon is soon?" Again, disinterested.

"Hopefully tomorrow."

"Great." Sarcastic. Sarcasm now? I couldn't compose myself any longer.

"Do you want to just go? Or what?" I sat up to look him in the face. "I mean, I am sure I can make it out alive after I am done here. You don't have to stay."

"And leave you here with him?"

"What?"

"Your new best friend, Officer Blake." Mocking tone too?

"Why do you say that?" I knew exactly why, but I wanted to hear it. He just scoffed. "I am sorry I talk to him. It's just nice to actually talk about things for a change. He doesn't go throwing his guard up constantly."

"And I do?"

"How can you even ask that? Of course you do. I barely know anything about you."

"Then why am I even here." There they were. Those words. The background music to my spirit shattering against his barricade.

"I don't know, why are you?" My rage was swift to take over for my sadness, for she was worn from the days of staying strong.

"Fine. I guess I will go then." Here is that moment; the one in the movies where you beg the character to say 'wait, don't go.' He got up and began to get dressed. I was not going to be one of them. I would not lie down beside those stupid girls and boys who didn't just admit they cared.

"Don't," I said as I walked over to him.

"Why not? You don't even know me, right?"

I stared into his eyes and thought. I thought about what I felt when I looked into those eyes. "I know enough to know it's worth it." He stopped changing his clothes but just stood there. "I understand that you don't want to let me in, and that's fine. Just when you get back to him, let him in." He sat down on the bed, and I sat beside him, both of us staring at the wall of pictures from a different family. A happy family.

"I have tried…" he started.

"I know." Silence.

"It's not that I don't want you to…"

"I know, it's fine." It wasn't fine, but it was enough.

"Did I ever tell you what my brother was like?"

"No."

"My brother James, who gave me these," he motioned to his scars, "He had sociopathic tendencies…"


	15. I Will Regret It

**Craziness in my life means craziness in the story. :) Trust me though, it will all work out in the end. Happy reading and happy Labor Day!**

14: I Will Regret It

Sharing didn't work out. He was a rubber band that tried to stretch, only to snap back into place with a sharp pain. Jack only got a minute into telling me about his brother before he blew up, only this time it was different that before. This time he said the cruelest things. He told me I was a horrible mother. He told me that I was annoying to him, and I always had been. That he never loved me, and that he loved Harley. That he wished she had killed me, even that he killed me. That he wished he killed me the night we met. He slapped me for crying. He said I was pathetic as he prepped his things for the swim across the channel. He told me he hoped I would die. He was going to leave, and I would never see him again. He took one of the many knives I had in my possession, the knives that saved me when I had nothing. He took the blade to his ring finger and cut off the skin where Drew had tattooed our rings. Then he went to me and did the same, I wanted to fight back, but I was so numb. How could this happen? Why did I have to push it? Why couldn't I have just kept my mouth shut? This was worse than the wall. This was worse than anything. Then he was gone. John and Gordon didn't ask where he was going in the wetsuit. They didn't ask why my hand was bleeding or why my eyes were flowing with tears. Gordon just grabbed our first aid kit and tended to the hand. I watched him as he cleaned it, and began to bandage it. My focus spread to the blueprint on my arm. The plan to save him, to help him escape from that place. I would never get to escape. By the time Gordon was done I had stopped crying. "So you guys have your plan sorted out to get Mr. Fox?"

"Yes, it should only take a few hours."

"Excellent. I have a few things I have to take care of tomorrow as well."

"Are you sure? You are injured, it might not be a good idea."

"We need to just get this all done so I can get home to my family." Gordon just nodded and I excused myself. I didn't sleep that night. I just lay on Jack's side of the bed, breathing him in, wishing this were a dream. Eventually, at about two in the morning, my thoughts changed. Of course, how could he ever love me? How could it all have ever been more than a sick and twisted joke? Why did I have to try to take down the wall, it wasn't that bad really? I could have just kept my mouth shut, and he could have stayed. The place where my heart once felt full was now hollow. It made me feel sick, but I couldn't move. I couldn't do anything about it, except kill someone. That would fix it; that would make him feel close once more. Today I would track down number two and kill him. Him and everyone around him. I would finish this section of the plan and be closer to home. Closer to my parents. Closer to JJ. I thought of JJ until sunrise. Of my special little guy, who had his father's smile. I would see him soon. He was more than enough to live for. I wanted to think of how to track Jack down, how to get him back, but I pushed it away. JJ. I needed to think of my precious son now.

It must have been 10:00am when John came in to wake me up, only to find me sitting hugging Jack's pillow and crying. "I can see if Gordon can go alone if you want me to stay with you?" he sat beside me. I looked at him. Arguably my best friend in the world. The kindest eyes I had ever seen.

"I will be fine. Just get back safe and soon, alright?"

"We will," he stood up to leave, only before he did he leaned over and kissed my forehead. I waited until I heard the front door shut before I got up and got dressed for my day. Warm clothes for the cold day with hints of my Siren costume, the old leather fighting gloves, knives and guns. I went to the bathroom to check the damage. My face was a swollen mess. I globed on the make-up. I wanted to feel pretty for just a few minutes after all of this. I left the apartment, too hollow to eat anything. I went to one of the many places I had seen today's target while surveying Bane with Jack. Jack. Push the thought away. No one was there. I tried the next few places with no luck. It was already mid-afternoon when I finally found him talking to Bane as he often did. I waited. After some time Bane left and so did a few of his soldiers. The target began to walk down the street; I followed. After about twenty minutes he turned into an alley and I took the opportunity.

"Hey you," he turned around and I quickly threw a knife at his right hand, then another at his left arm. "Out there on the road, always doing what you're told, can you help me?" He looked confused as I moved closer. "Hey you, out there beyond the wall," I reached him and removed the guns on his person, as well as the knives I threw, "breaking bottles in the hall, can you help me?"

"You," he realized who I was as I held a knife up to his mouth. "He will find you, and end you."

"Hey you, don't tell me there's no hope at all!" My pain, my anguish was apparent in my voice. These words, they meant something to me, especially today. I carved his mouth. Seeing the blood had a strange calming sensation. It reminded me of when I killed Harley. My first kill. Did he really love her? Her and not me? "Together we stand," I dragged him up to his feet with my bad hand, the pain reassured me. I am alive. "Divided we wall," I sliced open his throat before I dropped him. There was heat behind my eyes, then the tears. I wiped the blades on his clothes to rid them of most of the blood, and then shoved them in my pockets. I noticed a pack of cigarettes sticking out from the man's front pocket and I took it before I started to run back home. My legs pumped, my heart raced. The air filled my lungs and I felt the cold seep in. By the time I reached the stairs to the building my ears were annoyingly numb. My face's coldness combated the warmth of the tears though, so I wasn't that mad. They were back when I entered the apartment.

"Where were you?" concern was strewn all across John's face.

"I had to take care of something." The other two men were busy talking, but John saw. He saw the blood on my hands before I could get into the bathroom to clean them off. He followed me in.

"What happened?"

I took off the gloves and began to scrub, "Bane's number two."

"Are you okay?" I just looked at him after he said this. How could I be okay? Jack was gone. Jack left me, again. John figured out the mistake in his word choice, "Did the guy hurt you?"

"Not this one, not this time." Once I was finished I found a lighter in the kitchen and lit up a cigarette.

"Those will kill you." Luscious smiled at me, with his mischievous smile.

"I am glad you are okay," I smiled back at him. I was surprised at how genuine it was. I was so sad, but I could still smile at Mr. Fox.

"Me too. I knew you would be okay, Ms. Amherst."

"Nap-…" I almost corrected him, but I caught sight of my hand. Was I still Rose Napier? "How did you know?"

"Well, you have several untraceable pistols for one."

I felt the red flush of embarrassment move across my face, "You know about that?" He nodded, keeping his smile.


	16. We Will Plan

**Just a teeny tiny little chapter for those of you who read. I wasn't planning on it, but you deserve it for being the best readers of all of ff. **

15: We Will Plan

With Mr. Fox's help two things happened; we discovered we had only two weeks until the bomb was going to explode (regardless of if the citizen pushed the trigger) and we were able to formulate a plan of attack on finding the bomb to try to disarm it. I threw myself into planning, into keeping the loss out of my mind. Gordon was the most help in this regard, as he had been keeping his wife from his thoughts for some time now. But sometimes, mostly in the stillness and privacy of the night, Jack seeped in. I thought of happy days when we were a family, and this brought the pain. I thought of his face, the way his eyes used to look at me, and this brought the pain. I thought of how his eyes last looked, so cold and cruel, and this brought the pain. On the nights when it was its worst I would call in John. Our relationship was well defined. We loved each other and cared for each other as best friends do. He was undoubtedly my best friend. Better than my sister and I when we were young even. Those difficult nights he would lie beside me with his arms around me, to protect me from the emptiness. He didn't become bothered when I would cry, or wake up in a fit, he would just be there to help me keep it together. Sometimes we even laughed. Actually, my three crime-fighting roommates made me laugh all of the time. There was something about them that brought me up; it vaguely reminded me of how Bruce Wayne would bring me up when I was younger. Thoughts of Bruce, of the Batman scared me. He shouldn't have to die; after all he was Gotham's brightest son and best man. I talked to Luscious about him multiple times, but he too had no idea what had happened after he tried to face Bane.

"I'll avenge him, I have to."

Luscious smiled, "You know he really liked you, I remember when he first met you. He called me into the office the next day to get me to hire Camille. He didn't say it, but I knew it was because he wanted to see you more. I only know this, because he rarely came into the office until you started working there."

I felt a slight blush on my face, "You know I was once going to ask him on a date, but Camille told me it was a bad idea." I laughed for a bit, "Plus, I am no supermodel."

"I can see why he liked you," he paused, but I stayed silent so he would continue, "you are modest beyond reason. That isn't a trait most of the people who Mr. Wayne meets have."

I thought of how that would have been, trying to date Bruce. He was a true friend. He was the Batman. I was grateful that things happened like they had. Bruce was too kind to put him through a loveless relationship, and I was too obsessed with Jack to offer him any more than that. It was nice though, distracting. Like when you graduate from high school and someone admits they had a crush on you the entire time. Just a nice though, and nothing more. I would avenge him though. Whatever Bane did to him would be repaid in full, and I would be the one doing it.

Luscious and John nailed down how to find the bomb, which was their job. My job was to find Bane. To find Bane and end him.


	17. I WIll Lose

**ENJOY! Let me know what you think.**

16: I Will Lose

By the time they had successfully located the truck with the bomb it was the day before 'Doom's Day,' as we had begun to refer to it. By the end of all of this I would either be on my way to Oregon or dead, because of this it was hard not to think of Jack. I mainly wondered if he was okay, and if he still thought about me. Or if he ever thought about me. We were walking to begin phase one of the plan, helping the cops underneath the city escape, when we were ambushed. I should have seen it coming, everything was too easy, but then it happened. They took Luscious and Gordon in a separate car from John Blake and I. If they hadn't I could have freed them. Once we were picked up everything happened in a whirlwind.

First I slipped my cuffs, and then I strangled the man in the back of the truck with us. The driver must not have heard, because John and I were able to remover our restraints with ease. Next I took the dead man's gun and shot the driver several times in the back of the head. Then there was a crash. We stumbled away from the wreck and into the safety of an alleyway where we kept moving until we put a few miles between us and the damage. Then we regrouped.

"Try to get the officers out, and if you can't then try to get people to start heading for the bridge. I will take care of Bane."

"Shouldn't I do that?" John looked confused.

"Just because I am a woman, and a mother, doesn't mean I can't kill that man." There was a loud noise and we looked to the skyline. There, burning on a building was Batman's signature. I felt a flood of relief wash over me. "He's okay." I smiled.

"We might actually make it."

I looked at him and decided now was as good a time as ever. I gave him a hug, and a kiss on the cheek, "Good luck."

"Where should we meet after?"

"After this I am leaving, I'm sorry. I have to go home." He gave me a solemn nod and I returned it. "Now let's get going." We took off in opposite directions. I was glad those fools hadn't checked me for weapons, because I still had plenty of knives and a pistol on me. As I neared City Hall it became apparent that this was where it was all going down. John must have succeeded, because there were cops fighting Bane's men everywhere. Then I saw him, the massive man fighting the black-clad figure. "Bruce," I said softly to myself. I was going to protect him. Gotham's son needed to survive for this city to survive. I pulled out my largest knife in my left hand and began shooting the 'bad guys' from my right. By the time I reached where Bane and Bruce had been fighting they were moving into the building, followed by Talia. I was about to make my way up the steps when I was attacked by a cop. "No! I'm on your side!" He didn't seem to understand until I saved him from one of Bane's guys. When I finally made it up the stairs the room was empty except for Bane. He was wounded in the corner. "Perfect," I said as I walked over to him with my knife drawn.

"We meet again," I could hear the pain in his voice.

"Indeed. You look pretty beat up. I wasn't aware that anyone could touch you, well, except Talia."

"Yes, she told me about her new friend. That is the only reason I didn't hunt you down, but I fear our time is up."

"Maybe, or maybe we'll win. We'll know in a few minutes." I knelt beside him, "Do you have anything you want to say before I kill you?"

"I've said all I felt necessary already, young one."

"Wonderful. This is for ruining my life." I lifted the blade, and he began to laugh. "Is my pain humorous to you?"

"How have I ruined your life?"

"It is because of you that I lost him. I lost part of my family. I lost my friends."

"Were you not fleeing the city to live in peace? Friends would have been nothing but loose ends. I helped you cut them."

"They should have lived. I would have been happy knowing they lived."

He laughed once more, "I did not make the man they call the Joker leave you."

I felt the heat of tears begin to form. "I suppose not." It was my fault he left. Not Bane's, mine.

"Even if this city does not burn you will be fine."

The tears were flowing now, "How could I?"

"I have been told you have a son, is he not enough?"

"I still have to kill you."

"I am ready to die." I lifted up the blade once more; I noticed it shaking in my hand. How many have I killed before, and so easily? How many times have I plunged a knife into flesh? "What's stopping you, young one?" What was stopping me? This was what I had wanted. This was what I sacrificed my husband in order to achieve. Why couldn't I just do it?

"Young one?"

"It was clear that you were not fully matured from the day we met at the Wayne building."

"You did all of this for her, right?"

He nodded.

"Then I can't kill you."

"Why is that?"

"Love is a decent reason to do anything. I too have killed for the man I love."

"Then what now, young one?"

"Stop calling me that. I am not young, I am old. Old enough at least." I heard him laughing as my mind flew. Rationalizing this would be difficult, but I had to. Bane did this for Talia, I could understand that. We were so similar in that respect; I don't know how I could forgive even myself for what I have done. I had let my guard down for only a second when it happened. Bane took the blade from my hand and pushed in into my chest. As a reflex I pulled it out and returned the favor. The whole time the light was leaving my world I could hear his mechanical laughter.


	18. Life Will Go On

**Finally, a good ending to the story! Well, at least I think so. Thank you so much for reading, I know that the sequel isn't as popular as Just Laugh It Off, but either way you are the best readers ever. Thank you!**

17: Life Will Go On

When I woke up I was in a cloud of medication. But I saw that smile. "JJ." My voice was hoarse.

"Mommy's awake! Mommy's awake!" I could feel the tears coming when I tried to sit up, the pain grew.

"Don't try to move."

"Where am I?"

"You are just below my house," was that Bruce?

"Mr. Wayne?"

"Yes?"

"Where were you?"

"Oh, just in prison. I will leave you guys alone." I heard the door movement and craned my head to see who was there. My parents.

"I know you said to stay away, but when Mr. Wayne called and sent the plane we knew we had to come."

"I'm glad. I have missed you."

I spent most of the next hour listening to them. Then Bruce came in and he took JJ to watch him while I told my parents about Jack. They didn't say much; they just exchanged concerned glances and told me to wait until we got home to think of it. We stayed there two days before I was able to take the plane home, and Mr. Wayne was kind the whole time. On the day we left for home they gave me a new white dress to wear. I hadn't worn a dress in months, it was strange to see how much my body had changed. I was so thin and my skin was almost covered with Drew's ink. We all left on the same day. Bruce had a woman with him when he boarded the plane with us, and they flew with us all the way to Oregon. Before I hobbled off the plane when we touched down we spoke.

"I hope everything works out for you, Rose. You'll be getting Christmas cards."

"You too, Mr. Wayne. Thank you for everything, and I mean everything. You two going to be alright?"

"How many times have I said to call me Bruce? Me and Selina? We will be just fine. Have a good life."

I stepped out of the plane and onto the stairs, "You too."

The drive back home was nice sitting next to JJ. I had missed him so much; it was nice to get to hear his laughs.

"We have a quick stop to make first." I saw the ocean outside the car. It was so beautiful, and strange. I had seen the ocean before, but not this one. We pulled up to a small harbor and they took me to a boat. It was nice to hold JJ's small hand, just like before. The ship pulled away and the wind whirled through my hair. JJ sat on my lap as we looked out at the water, I couldn't help but think of Jack. After an hour the ship stopped. JJ stood up and ran behind me, so I got up too. Then I saw him.

There was Jack, in a tuxedo, standing besides the ship's captain. My mom was holding JJ and my father had his arm around my mom.

"Rose, I am sorry." Jack extended his hand and I walked over and took it.

"I am so happy you are here."

That day we got married for real. There were real rings, and real love. The years went by, and JJ grew up too fast for Jack or my own liking, but our family was happy. Every Friday my parents would babysit for JJ and Jack and I would go on a date. He was much more open with me, though I tried not to push too hard. I didn't feel sad about it the way I used to, now it was like I would get to get to know him for our whole life. There was always something new to discover, and I would never tire of it. JJ had inherited his father's mischievousness, but deep down he was a kind kid. Not to mention very bright. Happiness was everywhere for me. Each Christmas meant a card from Bruce Wayne; Selina and him were in Europe making a family. I rested well each night, knowing that my debts to Gotham were repaid, and I rarely thought of the place. My sister and her new husband even visited us every Thanksgiving. Our differences were not a problem anymore, not since I found my own happiness. All the puzzle pieces were placed, and now all that was left was to enjoy the view.


End file.
